Red Sox shut down Ortiz with inflammation in heels

An MRI revealed that Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is suffering from inflammation in both heels, and as a result will be shut down for five to seven days.

Manager John Farrell indicated the setback probably means Ortiz will not be ready by opening day.

"We got the MRI results back," Farrell told the Boston Herald. "It does reveal some inflammation in the bony area of the heel. He's dealing with that. That's where the discomfort is being felt. As a result, we're going to shut him down for a few days here to let that quiet down completely before we start to initiate any kind of baseball activities."

Ortiz has mainly been having pain in both heels but specifically the right one, which he injured in July.

"We feel like progress is being in made," Farrell said. "There's no doubt about that. But he's dealing with an issue that we've got to give it time to clear up."

The 37-year-old Ortiz batted .318 with 23 homers last year before an Achilles injury first occurred in July.